Information Architecture

Information Architecture

A well structured user experience enable all relevant end users to interact with information, connect with their colleagues, and execute complex transactions. At Astegic, our experts employ card sorting, tree testing, and sitemaps to create the most effective UX possible.

CARD SORTING

Card sorting is a method used to help design or evaluate the information architecture of a site. This process aims to understand the end users’ expectations and understanding of your end product. Knowing how your end user groups information enables you to:

  • Build a logical structure for your site or application
  • Decide what to put on the homepage
  • Label categories and navigation
TREE TESTING

Tree testing. sometimes referred to as reverse card sorting, allows you to isolate problems and improve “findability” within your navigation. At Astegic, we use tree testing to:

  • Reveal which items, groups, or labels could benefit from improved navigation
  • Validate the changes made to navigation and determine if navigation was actually improved
SITEMAPS

Sitemaps are an easy way for webmasters to inform search engines about pages on their site that are available for crawling. Creating a clear sitemap has multiple benefits, not least of which is search engine optimization (SEO). When a search engine knows where to look, your sites search ranking goes up, increasing the likelihood of web surfers finding your business when in search of a particular service.

In it’s simplest form, a sitemap is an XML file that lists URLs for your site along with metadata indicating a page’s importance relative to other pages on your site. Providing a sitemap doesn’t guarantee that your site will be picked up by search engines but does give web crawlers hints for improved crawling.

Astegic engages the information gained from card sorting and tree testing to create the most effective sitemap possible.

Want to learn more? Contact our Information Architecture experts below!